Page 87 of Blizzards and Brews

Adam’s scent hit me and I turned around to greet him but he beat me to it.

“They had cranberry lemonade, so I grabbed enough for all of us,” he said as he walked up with a drink carrier full. I snagged one and poked the straw in, taking a long sip. It was nice and refreshing, the perfect palate cleanser to the overly sweet pie.

As Adam took my other side I turned my attention to Ollie and Spencer, who were just now making their way out to the ice.

Spencer looked like a baby deer, his legs wobbly as he made his way forward. This time, Ollie was the confident one. He skated around Spencer offering advice and showing him how to position his feet. Unfortunately, Spence was not a good student, and our mammoth alpha was not graceful on thin blades. The more the poor omega tried to get Spencer to gain his footing, the more they fell, tumbling onto each other. At least they were mindful of the skates so the only thing hurt was their pride.

We weren’t the only ones laughing at them, and thankfully, they were laughing too. Their cheeks were pink from the cold and their smiles were wide.

This was exactly what I loved about the winter festival. It brought people together and let us all relax and unwind. Even the grumpiest of people couldn’t be in a bad mood around all of this.

“Are you guys torturing that poor Alpha?” Alice’s teasing voice joined us.

“Mom,” Dustin greeted, handing me the pie and standing up to give her a big hug. The moment he released her, Adam was swooping in. These men were so sweet with their mom, and it always made me happy.

“I see the pie tradition is alive and well,” she chuckled to herself as she sat down on the bench next to me, pulling me in for a hug as well.

“How can we say no to this?” I said, holding up the tin to entice her. “Do you want a bite?”

“Hell no, I don’t want to bite. These hips are wide enough,” she said, patting them for emphasis.

“Nonsense,” I said. “You’re perfect.”

“Perfectly round,” she corrected with a chuckle.

A commotion on the ice had us turning over to see that my men had not only knocked themselves over but an entire group of kids. Ollie was apologizing and helping everyone up, but even the kids were howling with laughter now at the Alpha sprawled out on his back, staring up at the sky.

“I think we officially found something that alpha isn’t good at,” Adam said, a little too smugly. At least this time it was laced with humor.

My phone buzzed in my pocket again. I pulled it out and stood up, glancing around to see where they were coming from.

Alexandra stuck out among the citizens of Holiday Hollow. She was all punk rock and Gothic goddess, her curvy hips swinging as she walked toward us, a wide grin across her black-painted lips.

She started to open her mouth but slammed it closed and looked around, trying to find Spencer. I cocked my head toward the ice before she slammed a hand over her mouth, stopping her laughter from escaping.

She was breathless by the time she reached me, but there was no awkwardness as she nearly tackled me in a hug.

“I’m glad we get to finally meet in person,” she said excitedly, dancing me around. I loved how bubbly she was despite the seemingly hard exterior. She was going to give a pack a run for their money someday.

“Oh, shit, hide me,” she said as she ducked behind me. Alice, Adam, and Dustin joined us, making a wall of bodies as Ollie and Spencer turned in their skates and made their way toward us.

“Don’t say I don’t try things,” Spencer grumped as he came up. “Thank God my sister isn’t here. She’d be recording that with her phone and sharing it with everyone we know. I’d never live that fiasco down.”

“I mean, I still could. Get back out there,” Alexandra said, and she poked her head between me and Alice.

Spencer’s jaw dropped open, and his eyes were wide as he stared at her, but it only took about two seconds for his brain to come back online. With a strangled gasp he was surging forward, yanking her out from between us and crushing her in a hug.

They were adorable and I felt my throat tightening with emotion.

“Breathing is important,” she reminded him, still laughing as she patted his back and squeezed him just as hard.

“I can’t believe you’re here! What are you doing here? Wait, you haven’t even met my pack.”

“Me and Lexi are good friends.”

“I’m pretty sure you and Alex are not good friends or I’d be hiding in shame from all the stories she shared with you,” Spencer teased, but his eyes were giving away how happy he was.

His sister grinned something wicked. “It’s only a matter of time, dear brother of mine.”